Shipping crate for latrine fixtures convertible into complementary latrine structure



July 5, 1955 F. r. sHEFFlELD SHIPPING CRATE FOR LATRINE FIXTURES CON VERTIBLE INTO COMPLEMENTARY LATRINE STRUCTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 3, 1953 mk.. ...,...L`

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS MM'J www,

July 5, 1955 F. T. sHEr-FIELD 2,712,164

SHIPPING CRATE FOR LATRINE FIXTURES CONVERTIBLE INTO COMPLEMENTARY LATRINE STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 3, 1955 4 Sheets-Shes?l 2 i l l 'INVENTOR ATTORNEYS July 5, 1955 F. T. sHEFFlELD 2,712,164

SHIPPING CRATE FOR LATRINE FIXTURES CONVERTIBLE INTO COMPLEMENTARY LATRINE STRUCTURE Filed Feb. s, 195s 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 v INVENTOR I mfMz'm/d ATTORN YS July 5, 1955 F. r. sHr-:FFn-:LD 2,712,164

SHIPPING CRATE FOR LATRINE FIXTURES CONVERTIBLE INTO COMPLEMENTARY LATRINE STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 5, 1953 4 Sheets-Shea?l 4 INVENTOR 8% wg'ifww ATTORNEYS 2,712,164 Patented. Juli 5 V1955 Unite@ i *Y 2,'71`21i6i` o n SHIPPING' kemiranon LATRINE -1' FIXTURES -coN-L VERTIBLE INT CUMPLEMENTARYLATRINE STRUCTURE HLSingl'etoii Co.',' 'Inc'.,"'fh'liiig'tong` Va., a corporation offvi'rginm i Applicatie AFebruary 3,1953, serial No. 334,852

s claiiisl (Ci: 20;-2)

This invention relatestoa 'shippingcrate' forllatrine fiXture's,"convertible into the standing partitions, 'floor 'and roof' of field latrine structurel' Theinvent'ion `isE particularly applicable to use" by the military services, and has for its object the" provision of a shipping crate and the complement'ofplmbingxtures and sized and threaded 'piping vfor furnishing'a eld latrine, the' crate'` being convertible into a 'definite pattern of latrine structure includitrgfan `openended,"` roofed and oore'd shower' stall providing support onthe outer face of one side for the flush tanks of a row of water closets, having privacy wings projecting outwardly from the ends of said side flanking the row'of water closets, the 'oppo' site side of said shower stall having a longitudiralextemv sion in the plane of said opposite side, said opposite side' including said extension,` providing an' outer face 0fisuif cientlen'gth to afford back support fora rowbf lavatory basins, the conversion being accomplished'"without any modiiication of' the component parts ofthe crate 'or the necessity vof drilling holes or measuring to determine the location of any of the parts.

More specifically stated, the'object of the invention is to provide `a convertible' shipping 'crate'for' the purpose escribed,` having the side panels and the top and end panels permanently put' together' so thatinthe conversion the unitformed by ithese'panels may be kept' intact, constituting the shower' stall of which 'the top vpanel 'forms theroof and the bottom' panelthe Hoor,v the' end `panels of the crate being bolted' to the side panels so that'they can be readily removed," one end panel being a 'single member forming theA extension ofone 'side 'of'rtheshowe'r stall, and the other end panel being 'transversely' divided into upper and lower sections which become the privacy wings in the conversion, existing bolt holes in the" crate and the bolts of Vtl'iefcr'ate being employed in'integrating the latrine structure. Y

Other objectsof theinvention will appear' asthe follow# ing description'of a practical embo'dimentthereo'f' proceeds.v l

In the drawings which' accompany ardform a 'parti'of the following' "specification, and' throughout' theiigur'es of which'the same reference characters ployed to designate identical parts: A i

Figure l is a side elevation of a shippingcr'ate embodying the principles of the'l invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation viewed from the'left in Figure `l;

Figure 3 is amend 'elevation viewed Afrom' the-"right" in Figure 1;'

made up Hfrom the'l crate components, Viewed from" the side adjacent the water'closets';

Figure 5 'is a perspectiveviewof thev latri'ne structiire viewed from the side" contiguous to the lavatory basins;`l'

Figure '6 is a cross-section 'taken along the line Figure 7 is' a 'side elevation' ofwthegcrateviewed 'from the' side'oppositethat of Figure 1;

`lateral space for the' persons l'taking 2 Figure 8 is a perspective view of the'shower pan." Referrirignow in".'detaihtotheseveral figures,l and first to rFigures '1, 2, l3 vandi? 'which'l illustrate th'e`cr 'ate construction,thecateiis formed of two side panelsl A and BQ Vand tw"end panels'.` C" and D`,' the 'end panel being transversely divided into' `sections vE and F'lof equal height.- There Visa bottom panel G (and 'a'top paneVI-,L

Letters have been"use'd""todesignat'e'asa whole 'these components off thecrate'"'so' asf'thfe better" to identify them in"the figures showing' thelatri'n'e conversion.' f

The side "panelsA- and VB each 'comprise' affrane'of dressed 2"x'f-tv materialV consistingof top -and bottoni members 1 Yand 2 and side m'enbers'f and' '4 suitably secured together and"detiningthe:priphries 'of there'- spective panels,`which are"cong"ruent'.`" Three intermediate studs 5, 6 and 7ex`t'e'n'd between 'the top and bottom nieni'l bers', beingr preferablyequi'distantly spaced frorneacl'i other and"'from the sidemeinbers' 3 and 4. Thel 'side panel 'Awhichiisto serve as a backing-furthe lavatory basins inthe conversion is provided vwith'a'longitudinal member 8 "inseetions, `occupying "the spaces between "the studs andbetween the' "side meinbers'andadjacent'studs at suchlevel as to'iatford anancliorage fortlie fastening means which secure the lavatory basins tothe'panel.' The opposite side vpa'ri`el'B"i s provided 'with'a similar'longitndinal member 9 at such level'asto'serve was' an anchor-` age' for the' securing means 'of thewus'h tanks, in the 'cori-f version.V The ntrarne members "arefarran'gedwvith their longer width" dimensions" eittendingf"outwardly;` The trames are she'athed'konone' 'side with boards 7h10, running longitudinally, vthe'sheathedl sidesfof the'side panels be'ingon the inside of the' crate as wellason'fth inside ofthe shower stallin 'the conversion'. I

The'bottom panel G comprises two vspaced skids ,11 and 12 on which are ylaid cro'sswisefth'e 'relatively 'heavy floor boards 13. The' 'skids are undercut'attheir'ends'to'foii rabbets 14 al1d`15, the 'prpos'e'of ist "allOWnlrOQiil for slings to bearrangd beneath thfe'cra'te'atA its vends for purpose of tran'si'iortatio'ri,"'also'to allow 'apryinfg tool to be inserted forshiftingtheshwer stall in properpo'sition with lrespect tothe'pre'for'med concrete slab on which itis to be finally positioned: ,Y j A The. oor panel is'rlperinanen'tvly secured to the" side pnelsby suitable-fasteningmeansfnot shown, ext dingI through theibottomframe members 2 and Athroi'yg'li the board 'iloor 'into thefskidsl 4 t The 'roofl panel "comprises" three" transverseclianh'el irons bridging'the' side members-at the top,i andbeinlg permanently "secured thereltr'ol" The'spaces between" the channel irons'ar'e sheathed 'with 3A" boards 17',- the boards being Secured 'to theside" members by 'fastening means, not shown, through said boards fandthrough'rtlre top frame members 1. The overall hi'glitof'the'unit thus described is 7' and'its' overall vwidth 3 2%, This provides'forhead room'in the shower stall and ample the shower. Exte'ii'd ingf'widthwise" across the' tioor panel "'at` the ends and between the sheathed sides ofthe side panels are 2 X y4 ,members 18 and "19.V These"y xform door'V sills for the shower'stall. p The longer-'width' dimensions of the members 18' 'arid`19 extend upfwartily.v 'shower pan 20, showriin Figure' 7, is preferably packed in' the'criat'e in the'perriranent position which 1:it will"'occ`u'py intheY con IVSJrect'angulr in "shape,-v having upstan'd'ing ides`21 and 22 andup'standingiends 21,3 and '24,i'thel/rltitter being of the'sarne' hei'ghtfasfthe'finembers 18fand 19,"andlbe'i'ng bent "outwardly at their top edges to fornifthe flanges 25 minas nf'thesamefwidtn eine meinber'sis a11'd`191j The shower'pa'n' isne'sted'in tlie'ibo't'tom' ofthe crate, having its sides snugly fittingagainsbtliesheathed'sides' ofthe side" panel`s, "havin`g`its endsfag'air'ist the" 'inner' faces 'of the"inem`bers 18 'and 19,-and`havi'ng`the anges v25 and 26 overlying the members 18 and 19, and resting theref upon. The shower pan has a drainage iixture 27 in the middle and a registering aperture 28 is formed in one of thel floor boards '13 to permit the drainage xtur'e to be connected to suitable plumbingexposed in the slab- `A Referring-now to the end panel C, its loverall-height isV the distance between the upper level of the top panelH and the level of the under surface 29 of the rabbet 15. 1fhus,`whenthek panel C is bolted in place, as'shown in Figure l, the bottom of saidpanel forms a continua.-v tion of theunder surface of said rabbetr. The panel. C is divided transversely` into identical sections E and F, each of which consists `of aiframe-made ofydressed 2" x4" material comprisingtop andbottom'members I30 and 31, side members 32 and 33, and intermediate; verticalstuds 34, all suitably secured together. One of the side membersv of each section, the right member 33,' as shown in Figure 2, is of double thickness, constituted by two 2K'Jx 4" s placed in side by side contiguity, giving this side-member a substantially square cross-section. reason for this -is that in the conversionl each section will be .perpendicularly outwardly offset relative-to therelative ends of the side wall B, as best shown in Figures and 6, and for the sake of rigidity it is desirable to have the members 33 abut the adjacent respective side member-s3 and 4 of the side panel B throughout Vthe full width of said side members. y

In the crate, the adjacent top and bottom members and 31 of the sections E and F are in contact. Both sections are sheathed on their inner sides by 3A? boards 35. All frame members of these sections are arranged with their longer width dimensions extending outwardly. y The pattern of bolt holes through both sides of both sections is identical, the corresponding right and left bolt holes being equally spaced from the bottoms of the sections, and it is important that the bolt holes 36 and 37 through the lower half of the frame member 4 of panel B,.which provide for the securing of the end panel D, be identical, in their spacing from the oor'panel, to the bolt holes 38 and 39 in the frame member 3 of panel B which register with the corresponding bolt holes in section F. Thus, in the conversion, when sections-E and F are placed in offset relation to the panel B with their side members 33 against the respective ends of panel B; the bolt holes in the members 33will register 'respece tively with the lower pair of bolt holes in the side members 3 and 4 of panel B. The bolts are a free itgin the bolt holes for easy insertion and withdrawal, andfour of the bolts employed in securing sections E and Fxto the crate are used-in bolting these sections to the frame members 3 and 4 of panel B. The heads ofjthe bolts throughthe side members 33 of sections Eand F are'coun.-A tersunk, as shown at 4t) in Figure l, so that in the conversion a lining of tempered Masonite or the like will lie at against the outside of sections E and F, as shown in Figures 4 and 5 at 41. f

Now proceeding to a Vdescription of the one piece'end panel D, this is similar to the other panels to the'e'xtent that it comprises a frame of 2" x 4" material consisting of top and bottom members 42 and 43, side members 44 and 45, and an intermediate stud46, all suitably secured, and it has also the sectional crossmember 47 extending between the stud and side members.' The Across member 47, however, is at such a height as to'be level with the longitudinal member 8 when -the crate components are assembled in-.the conversion. -Thus it becomes a rectilinear extension of the member 8-at a proper height to receive the securing means for one of the lavatory basins. The panel D, like the rest of the panels,is sheathed on its inner side with 3A boards, those of panel D being designated by the numeral48. The frame members of panel D are positioned with their longer width dimensions extending outwardly.

Since the-panel D is to be assembled,.in theconversion, in the plane of the side panel A, with its,si de niem- The , shower stall.

ber 44 in abutment with either of the side members 3 ot' 4 of the side panel A, the bolts which secure these cornponents must be axially parallel with the plane of the panel A. This requires the provision of four additional bolt holes 49, passing through the side member 44 of panel D perpendicular to the bolt holes 50 in said side memberwhich receive the bolts that secure the panel D to the crate.

In order to avoid weakening the side' member vv44 of panel D by lhaving the conversion bolt holes 49 intersect the crate bolt holes' 50 in the saine cross-sectional planes, the former bolt`holes are positioned slightlyabove-the crate bolt holes 50, as shown in Figures l andA 3,'and so spaced lfrom the under facesv 51lof the rabbets 14 of the skids that when the end panel D is secured in place in the conversion, its bottom edge will be flush with said under faces. Consequently, when the end panel D is secured-to the crate bybolts through the holes 50, its bottom edge will be above the plane of said under faces by an amount equal to the difference in level between the axes offthebolt holes 49 and 50, this being indicated at 52 in VFigure 3'. f'

The'ove'rall length of the crate, as shownis 7' lf2-the inside length being 6' 4", which isv also'the length of the A crate of this size will contain three water closets` 53, including the ush tanksL 53', threelavatory basins'54,- including the supporting frames, the shower, pan 20,one urinal trough 55, rods and curtains 56 and 57 for the ends of the shower stall, awater heating unit, not shown, including a burner and stack sections, the smallern fixtures such as the soap dishes 58,' drinking font 59 and shower heads, bibbs, etc., not shown, and the necessary piping'and plumbing connections, not shown, the piping being in sized and threaded pieces, the above being the complement to tit the urinal structure provided byzthe cratey components. The packing of-the equipment requires theY employment ofseveraltemporary partitions which are not shown, since-*they play no part in theconversion. The crate also contains sufcient sheet material, such as tempered Masonite, toline both sides of eachiof the vertical panels in the conversion, and the exposed edgelfacesV of each. The sheet material is precut inpieces which when fitted together form areas congruent with the facestof the panels which they aredesigned to'lineythus obviating the necessity for any cutting to be done `in the field. The crate will also contain a set of three wooden feet 61 for supporting the outerends of the panels D, `E, and vFin the conversion. These vfeet will be drilled' and counterbored for lag screws, not shown, by

means vvof"y which thefeet are secured to the respective panels:.f` -3 4Referring now to Figures 4, S-and 6;-the. several panels of the urinal structure are identified by theA same. letters which? designate the corresponding crate components. The panels in the conversion are` shown lined with sheets of tempered Masonite 60. It will be noted from Figure 6 that the sheathedfsides of the panels A and Bare'on the inside of the shower stall, aiordingfa lirm support for the contiguous lining 60, against which themen-r may lean while taking a showen-'and 4that the'.lining overlapsthe s ide-edgesof the shower pan; avoiding seepage of water between the shower pan and the enclosing structure. l 1 v f The urinal unit, as described, is designed to serve titty men,.-.3.It/will generallybe ina roofed buildiiigwith other like units, so that no provision is necessary for a waterproof roof lining.

, It is contemplated that prior to the installing of the urinal, a level slab of concrete will have v,been prepared with soil pipe and'- water drainage connections projecting .from itsupper face in a predetermined pattern of spacing to correspond with the plan of the urinal, the latter being erected on said slab. In disassemblingnhe crate andr reassemblingnthe urinal structure', no-,l cutting. measuring, drilling, 0r ,other` expert work is required,

so that the conversion may be readily made by unskilled personnel and by the use solely of a wrench, except that the lining sheets are nailed in place.

While I have in the above description disclosed a practical embodiment of the invention, it will be undertsood by those skilled in the art that the specific details of construction, arrangement of parts and dimensions, as disclosed, are by way of example and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a demountable shipping crate for latrine fixtures convertible into latrine structure complementary to said fixtures, the components of which crate comprise an i11- tact intermediate section consisting of congruent, spaced opposite side panels, a top panel and a bottom panel bridging said side panels and secured thereto, a single unit end panel closing one end of said intermediate section, an end panel closing the opposite end of said intermediate section transversely divided into two end sec tions of the same size and shape, said side panels, single unit end panel and said end sections each comprising a peripheral frame on the outside consisting of top, bottom and side members, said frame members being of rectangular cross-section, said frames being sheathed on their inner sides, the side frame members at one side of each of said end sections being coextensive in width with the face which they overlie of the adjacent side frame member of the adjacent side panel, said single unit end panel and said end sections being detachably secured to said intermediate section by bolts through registering bolt holes in said end panel and end sections and in said adjacent side frame members of the side panels, the transversely corresponding bolt holes in each of said end sections being equally spaced from the bottoms of the respective sections, and pattern of spacing being identical in each section and being identical with the pattern of spacing of the bolt holes in the lower half of the single unit end panel.

2. Group of correlated structural components adapted to be assembled alternatively to form a shipping crate for latrine fixtures and a latrine for incorporating said xtures, said group comprising a rectangular tunnel including side panels, a top panel and a bottom panel, forming, in the crate, the intermediate part between the ends, and in the latrine an open ended shower stall;

a single unit panel forming one end closure of the crate, and, in the latrine, forming an extension of one side panel in a common plane therewith, a pair of similar half panels forming in superposed relation, the other end closure of the crate, and in the latrine forming privacy panels at opposite ends of the other side panel and perpendicular thereto, said components being provided with pre-formed matching bolt holes permitting the securing together of said components, by bolts, in either their said crate or latrine-forming relationships.

3. Group of correlated structural components as claimed in claim 2, said side panels and said-single unit panel being each constructed with a peripheral wooden frame and an intermediate transverse member between the sides of said frame, the height of they transverse members of said single unit panel and of the side panel of which said single unit panel is an extension, in the latrine assemblage, being the same, and greater than the height of the transverse member of the other side panel, above the base of said other panel.

4. Group of correlated structural components as claimed in claim 2, including a dished metal liner for said bottom panel coextensive with the inside area of said bottom panel, and an outlet for said liner extending through said bottom panel.

5. Group of correlated structural components as claimed in claim 2, said bottom panel comprising spaced parallel skids having undercut end portions, a iloor of boards secured to the upper faces of said skids, sills upon the floor at the ends thereofk extending between said side panels, and a liner for said bottom panel having a dished portion coextensive with the inside area of said oor and having end portions overlying said sills, said liner having a central aperture registering with a hole in said oor.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 789,490 De Haven ---I May 9, 1905 800,577 Hines Sept. 26, 1905 910,792 @Dahl Jan. 26,` 1909 962,429 Hedden June 28, 1910 2,644,203 Donahue Iuly 7, 1953 2,648,409 Daugherty et a1. Aug. 11, 1953 OTHER REFERENCES Architectural Engineering, October 1948, page 190. 

